Libby Man Arrested Following Manhunt Pleads Guilty to Burglary

Manhunt prompted authorities to warn local residents to lock their doors

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A 30-year-old Libby man has pleaded guilty to burglary just two weeks after he was arrested following a brief manhunt in Lakeside.

Kevin Ray Mitchell appeared before Flathead County District Court Judge Amy Eddy on Feb. 1. Mitchell will be sentenced on March 15.

According to court records and law enforcement, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a burglary in the Kalispell area on Jan. 15. Mitchell had allegedly taken several guns and survival gear from his father’s house. Mitchell was reportedly under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the burglary and was “very unstable.”

At about 4:30 p.m., a log-truck driver reported seeing a vehicle in the middle of Cramer Creek Road near Lakeside. The driver witnessed a man, later identified as Mitchell, running into the woods. Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene and found that a rifle was missing from the vehicle.

Because Mitchell was considered armed and dangerous, local residents were warned to lock their doors and report any suspicious activity. The alert was pushed out to local residents on television.

Two Bear Air spotted Mitchell in the woods and the SWAT team apprehended him without incident. Mitchell was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center because he was hypothermic.